Scholar of the Arcane Arts | Devlog ‘A Unique Spell System’

Greetings, Scholars!

Long time no hear, huh?

Well, there’s a good reason for that—I’m still deep in production, but trust me, big things are coming! Today, though, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on how Scholar of the Arcane Arts came to be and tell newer players what makes it so exciting. And it all started with…

[h3]A Unique Spell System[/h3]

There are certain mechanics I believe every character class should have. An archer should deal more damage the longer they pull back their bowstring. An assassin should get a bonus for backstabbing their target. And a wizard? A wizard should be rewarded for combining their spells.

Yet, for some reason, I struggled to find games where spell combinations were a core mechanic. Most treat spells like ammunition—you just keep spamming fireballs until the enemy drops. That doesn’t make me feel like a wizard. That makes me feel like a machine gunner whose ammo just happens to be on fire.

This frustrated me so much that I had to make a game myself to see if it was possible. And thus, Scholar was born! There’s something deeply satisfying about understanding how your spells interact with each other. It gives you true ownership over your magic. You and I might have the same spells on our hotbar, but depending on the order we cast them, we can achieve wildly different effects. That was my vision for Scholar. After watching hundreds of hours of gameplay, seeing players post their builds in Discord, and studying speedrun after speedrun, I can confidently say: Scholar hit that goal. To beat Scholar, you need to truly understand how your spells work.



So, how does the spell system work? If a spell can be combined with others, it will have unique interactions with each school of magic. Take the spell Thornpatch, for example. Cast a Pyromancy spell at Thornpatch, and it will catch fire, dealing more damage—but it will burn up quickly and disappear. Cast both Geomancy and Hydromancy, and Thornpatch will grow. Geomancy makes it muddy, Slowing enemies that walk through it, while Hydromancy causes vines to lash out and Snare foes. This is where strategy comes in. Some spells gain bonuses based on an enemy’s status—so do you have the right spells to trigger transformations and take advantage of Snaring or Slowing? Or maybe you need a quick burst of damage, making Pyromancy the better choice? And down the rabbit hole you go.

If Scholar makes you pause to think about your spells instead of just spamming them, then I consider the system a success. Because, like a true wizard, research is time well spent.

And you know what else is worth spending time on? That’s right—game development. So, it’s time for me to dive back into the sorcery behind Scholar.

Let me know if you enjoyed this format, and stay tuned for more updates on Scholar of the Arcane Arts!

Oh, and feel free to wishlist and buy Scholar of the Arcane Arts! It’s really fun, okay?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1650200/Scholar_of_the_Arcane_Arts/